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Friday, June 07, 2013

Justice Department Announces Plan for Advancing Crime Victims’ Rights and Services in the Twenty-first Century

The Justice Department today unveiled a plan calling for sweeping
changes to advance crime victims’ rights and services in the 21st
century.

Developed by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and
Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Vision 21: Transforming Victim
Services Final Report, is the first collective examination in 15 years
of current U.S. practices, funding and outreach in the crime victims’
field.

“Today’s announcement marks the latest step forward in
the Department’s ongoing work to protect and empower those who have been
victimized,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “Through Vision 21,
we’ve gained an unprecedented understanding of the current state of
victim services from coast to coast. And we've developed groundbreaking
strategies for responding to urgent needs, combating violence and abuse,
and providing critical support to crime victims.”

Vision 21
documents the need to better understand who is affected by crime, how
they are affected, how they seek help, who reports victimization and the
reasons why some victims do not. The report calls for continuous,
rather than episodic, strategic planning in the victim assistance field
and for statutory, policy and programmatic flexibility to address
enduring and emerging crime victim issues. It also calls for the
development of evidence-based knowledge founded on data collection and
analysis of victimization and emerging victimization trends, services,
behaviors and enforcement efforts.

“This is a bold and creative
plan to meet the needs of crime victims in the 21st century,” said
Assistant Attorney General for OJP Karol V. Mason. “The recommendations
in this report display the latest and best thinking in the field of
victim services and set us on a course to ensuring services for all
victims. I am grateful to my Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney
General Mary Lou Leary and OVC’s Principal Deputy Director Joye Frost
for leading Vision 21 and for their commitment to victims across the
country.”

Leary and Frost previously joined Patrick Leahy,
President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate, on April 24, to announce the
framework for this report. For the Vision 21: Transforming Victim
Services Final Report, please visit: www.ovc.gov/vision21.
The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Assistant Attorney General
Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s
capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist
victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the
Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for
Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring,
Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. For more information about OJP,
please visit: www.ojp.gov.